Coin-operated mechanism for vending-machines.



v A. E. GRIFFITH. GOINOPERATED MECHANISM FOR VBNDING MACHINES.APPLICATION FILED PEB. e, 1907. BENEWED JUNE 1`v1, 1999.

Patented Aug. 31, 1909.

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A. E. GRIFFITH. u GOIN OPBRATED MEOHANISM FOB. VENDING MACHINES.'APPLIOATION `Hmm 11:11.11, 1907. BENEWED .mim 11, 1909.

982,698. 'Patented Aug. 31. 1909.

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ARTHUR E. GRIEETH, or

COIN-OPERATED MFKZI'lIl-LBTISIW FR VENDINGr-MACHINES.

` Specification of Letters Patent.

Application led February 8, 1907, Serial No. 356,326.` Renewed June 11,1909. Serial No. 501,446. I

To ail whom it may cof/tecra'.l

Be itknown that I, ARTHUR E. GRIFFITH, a citizen of the United States,residing-in Jersey City, in the county of Hudson and State of NewJersey, have invented certain new` and useful Improvements in Coin-Op-`erated Mechanisms for Vending-Machines, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to" an improved coin-operated mechanism forAvending Vmachines and-other automatic devices, said actuating mechanismbeing so arranged'that by the dropping of a` coin the locking of theoperating lever with the shaft ofthe mechanismis produced, while duringthe return motion of the operating lever` the coin is dropped into asuitable receptacle; and for this purpose the invention ,consists in acoinoperated mechanism v which comprises the novel features andcombinations of parts to be fully described hereinafter and finallypointed out in the claims. f

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l` represents a side-elevation,partlyd in section, of my improved coin-operated mechanism, Fig. 2 is aplan-view of Fig.` l, Fig. 8 is a side-elevation similar to Fig. l, butwith the guard-plate removed so as to adapt the coin-chute for. coins ofdifferent thicknesses, Figs. 4 and 5 are `vertical transverse sec-`tions on lines 4, 4, and 5, 5, F ig.8,Fig. 6 is a vertical transversesection on line 6, 6, Fig. 1, Figs.` 7 and A8 are vertical transversesections respectively. on lines 7 7, and 8, 8, Fig. 3;, Fig. 9 isanw-inside `view of the slotclosing plate, and Figg 10 is a detailfrontelevation ofthe coin-receiving slot.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughoutthey several figures Referring to the drawings, S represents an uprightshaft which is supported in suitable bearings of a vending machine orother coinoperated device, said shafttransmitting the required degree ofmotion from` the coinoperated mechanism` tothe operative parts of themachine or device. VThe *shaft `S passes through a horizontalpartitions, the space abovewhich serves as acoinreceptacle C. To theupper end of the shaft Sis attacheda disk DV which is provided with aslot d inline with a hand-lever L which is placed looselyon the shaft Sso as to swing forward and backward from'one side to `the other onythelsame. `The hand-leverL `is the disk along back into its startingposition. i

Tothehand-lever L is attached near its inner end, adjacent to the shaftS, an inclined `coin-chute F by means of a flanged portion 7, the upperend of the coin-chute -inoving along the inside of the casing C1 "whenthe lever is moved for the purpose of turning the shaft i S. lThecoin-chute is formed of twoV sections, one section being attached to thehand-lever L, while the other section is hinged by means of perforatedears f1 at its upper part to similar perforated ears f2 of the fixedsection of the coin-chute. The hinged section F1 forms with the fixedsection a coin-chute which is closed at the lower part byj means of aflange at the ingoing end of the coin-chute up to a'certain distancefrom the same, after which it is open at the lower end so that a wrongcoin or token which is dropped into the coin-chute through the slotinthe casing drops into the lower portion of the two sections formingthe coinchute, into a delivery-chute Gr, which is of considerable widthat its upper end and tapering 'at its lower end, where it is connectedwith a delivery-opening and a cup O2 which can'be connected with thecasing C1. The wrong coins or tokens that are dropped into thecoin-chute pass tothe open lower end of the `same into thedelivery-chute G and are thereby prevented from passing on to the slotin the disk D. AIn the hinged section F1 of the coin-chute is arrangedan opening 0 of sucient size through which the coinsor tokens can` alsodrop to the outside to the wide upper end ofthe coin-chute. The outgoinglower end of the coin-chute is open at its lower part, the opening beingin line with theV edgejofthe hand-lever L and with the edge of theslot din the disk D, so that the coinwhich the mechanism is set vfor passesdownwardly to the v end of the coin-chute and drops through the slot inthe disk onto oHN P.

Patented Aug. 31, 1909.

the coin-supporting plate ornshelf E, etendi ing with its 4upper half.alongside fof the hand-lever L into the comchute and with V Vthe lowerhalf through the slot d onto the coin-supporting A-plateflt In this:position the hand-lever L is intel-locked with the disk D, so thattheghand-lever 1can be turned in i itsy guide-.slot in the casing andmoved Vthrough an'angle of`90o more or less, as

shown in Fig. The motionof the hand leverimpartsrotary motionto ,theshaft and produces thereby the actuation of the vend,-A

V ing or other,devices.` As soon as the `coin arrives at the Vend of thelcom-supporting plate it drops into the.'coin-receptacle C, in which thecoins are collected and from which `Athey are removed from time to time.

' lhenit isy desired :to use the coin-operated mechanism for a'speci-lic coin, such as a one y or ten-'cent piece,.a retainingplate ofsheet- Ymetal is 1'attached to the 'lower part of Athe hihgedsection F1by being screwed` to a heel, as shown m Fig. l, which retammg-plate eX-tends into the vopening o of the coin-chute and lby its upper end aroundIthe upper `part and over the top of the chute, as shown in Figs. l and6. ln vthis case'the coin'is not dropped into the delivery-chute G, butconducted into-the slot al ottl ythe disk D on the coinsupporting plateor shelf E. The re-` tainingplate is bent in inwardly-projectingportions that fit exactly to the sides of the coin used. lAny other coinis heldback andreleased without operating `the delivery mechanism of themachine or device, yby simply shaking the-hand-lever to and fro so thatthe hinged section ofthe coin-chute -is oscillatedand thereby the coindropped into the deli-very-chutebelow so as to be delivered to theoutside,` if wanted,7without producing the regular Vworking of thedelivery mechan ism. T'Vhen'the retaining-plate is used it isnecessarytoregulatethe'coin-opening or slot in the casino' Clrso as-to-Jermit onl a coin used, such as a one or tencent-piece. As the openingofthe coin-slot would permit any thinner coins Yto be dropped, yit isnecessary to remove-the retaining-plate so asto return such -coins orsheet-metal tokens which are erroneously put ein, back-through thedelivery-chutetothe cup C?, if desired.

" 1F or 4preventing any dropping of coins or interference with the4mechanism while the lever iismoved linto position for turning the shaftS, a slot-closing -plate 'H is pivoted to th'einside-of the casingvertically above -the 'the machine or device.

coin-slot. The plate H is moved sidewise,

in theposition shown in Fig. 8, when the shown in Fig. 9, when thehand-lever with the coin-chute is moved after the coin has been droppedinto the same so as to operate During the movement of the hand-lever andcoin-chute the coin-slot is closed `at the inside and thereby thedropping in of coins prevented. As soon as the hand-lever and coin-chuteare returned into normal position the slot'closing plate is movedsidewise so that the coinslot is opened and the coin-chute ready forreceiving the next coin foroperating the vending machine or devices.

The coiiroperated mechanism can be used with vending machines and Yotherautomatic devices when connected by suitable mechanism with theactuating-shaft. This mechanism may -be either connected directly withthe shaft or through the disk D, which orthis purpose may -be providedoat its periphery witha series of teeth (ZX, as shown.

Hav-ing thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent :f l

l. In a coin-operated mechanism for vending machines, the combination,with a shaft, of a hand-lever applied loosely to said shaft, means'Awhereby saidshaft and `hand-lever are locked together by the coin, acoin-chute carried "by said hand-lever and composed of a `stationarysection and a section hinged to the'upper edge of said stationarysection,l

said sectionshaving an opening between them Vat their loweredges and thehinged section being provided with a sideropening, a retaining-platebent about the lower edge of said hinged section andextending over saidsideopening throughout a part of the length thereof and over the top ofsaidsection, andmeansffor holding said retainingplate in position. i j2; In a coin-operated mechanism', the combination, Vwith-'the sha-ft andthe hand-lever, of mechanism whereby said paits may be locked 'by thecoin, a coin-chute carried by said `hand-lever, va. part having acoin-slot to register with the -inlet-mouth of said coinchute, and meansfor automatically closing said slot when said chute is moved away fromthe sameby saidhand-lever.

3. The combination, with the shaft, the hand-lever and the mechanismwhereby said parts are locked bythe coin, of a coin-chute mounted onsaid hand-lever, apart having a coin-slot to A'register with saidcoinfchute, and a pivoted` plate which normally closes said `coin-s1otbut which is `held away from the slot by said coin-chute when 4thelatter is in position to operate the mechanism.

iio

A 4. In a coin-operated mechanism for vending machines, the combinationof acoin-receptacle, a shaft passing vertically through saidcoin-receptacle, a disk provided With a slot keyed to said shaft, anoperating handlever placed loosely at the upper end of said shaft abovesaid disk, astationary coin-sup porting plate below said disk, acoin-chute supported on said hand-lever, means for limiting the motionof said hand-lever for operating the shaft, means for returning the diskbythe hand-lever into initial position,

a coin-opening in line With the ingoing end of the coin-chute, and aslot-closing plate pivoted to the inside of the casing and adapted toclose the coin-opening When the coin-chute is moved with the hand-leverfor turning the shaft and Whichis moved side- Wise of the coin-openingWhen the shaft is returned With the lever'into initial position.

5. In a coin-operated mechanism for vending machines, the comblnation,With a handlever for operating the delivery mechanism,

of a coin-chute supported on said hand-lever,

\ a coin-slot in the casing of the vending machine in line With theupper end of the coinchute, and a slot-closing plate pivoted to theinside of the casing and adapted to close the coin-slot When thehand-lever and coin-chute are moved for `performing their function andto move sidewise of said coin-slot when said hand-lever and coin-chuteare returned into initial position.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I have signedmy name in presenceof two subscribing Witnesses.

ARTHUR E. GRIFFITH. Witnesses:

PAUL GOEBEL, HENRY' J. SUHRBIER.

